Published on 12:00 AM, May 07, 2023

SAFF Club C’ship from next year

Sports Reporter

The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF), during an ordinary congress in Dhaka on Saturday, decided to start the long-awaited Club Championship from next year, confirmed the organisation's president Kazi Salahuddin.

Speaking to reporters after the congress, Salahuddin said that the executive committee decided, on principle, to hold the championship from the middle of next year on a home and away basis. The details of the championship, which is supposed to feature top clubs of South Asia, will be chalked out following research and discussions among the member associations, he said.

"I have been working for the last few years for this championship. Once we confirmed the age-group competitions, my dream was to make the club championship happen and everyone gave their consent in today's executive committee meeting," the four-time SAFF president said.

Meanwhile, SAFF's general secretary Anwarul Haque Helal informed that they would wait till May 15 to get an eighth team for the upcoming SAFF Championship, scheduled for June 21 to July 04 in Bengaluru, after having confirmed Kuwait as the seventh team of the biennial tournament.

“Journalists deliver all the news of our sports arena from door to door. Such comments about those journalists are reprehensible. This is not a matter of being off or on the record. People shouldn’t even say these things when they are asleep.” Zahid Ahsan Russel, state minister for youth and sports, on BFF president Kazi Salahuddin’s disrespectful remarks on journalists.

"Since we have seven members, when we draw three teams in one group and four in another, one group gets a little easier. So, the executive committee had proposed to have eight teams in the competition. Now that Sri Lanka is not available, we have already confirmed Kuwait as the seventh team. We have invited a few more teams and will wait for a reply till May 15. In case we don't get another team, the championship will take place with seven teams. The draw will be held on May 21 in Bengaluru," Helal said, adding that sponsor Sports Partner International has bought rights for the next four editions of the event.

Meanwhile, the congress elected two vice-presidents -- one from Nepal and one from Maldives – into two vacant positions and elected Shaji Prabhakaran – the general secretary of All India Football Federation, as SAFF representative for AFC's executive committee for the next four years.

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